I'll Save You
by AnnMarie23
Summary: Isabella Swan is a victim of parental abuse. She's a loner at school and has no friends. She's destined to be stuck in Forks for the rest of her life under the reign of her father. Then she meets the Cullen's. Alice becomes close to her, Edward even closer. Will they find out her secret and help her get away? (Remake of The Writer Girl - 2323's original story). AH.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys. If you're reading this, you may or may not have been reading my previous story, The Prince and Me. I don't really want to talk about why I took that story down, but let's just say I wasn't feeling it anymore.**

**So, anyway, I rewrote The Writer Girl – 2323's story I'll Save You. Don't worry, I have permission. We're close friends and her and I both know her original story left a lot to be desired. Hopefully, you guys will read this and enjoy!**

**Chapters are prewritten and I will be updating once a week, probably on Sundays. The chapters are short, but there may be about 25-30 of them, guesstimating. **

**Okay, I'm done, I think. See you at the bottom for like a one word author's note. REVIEW! -Ann **

**P.S. This isn't beta-ed, but if someone would like to edit it, please PM me and let me know. I'll get the chapters to you lickety split! Ha. ;) **

Charlie was angry. Nothing good ever came from Charlie being angry. I was the kitchen, cooking his dinner, running him beers per his request. It's steak and potatoes tonight. That's his favorite and I try to make it at least once a week. Otherwise, I get punished.

"Bella!" I heard Charlie call. I hurried to his recliner, my converse squeaking on the hardwood floor.

"Can I get you something?" I asked politely. Nothing more, nothing less. I can't make it seem like I'm trying to hard or not hard enough.

"Yeah, my damn dinner! I've been waiting for a half hour!" He shouted.

"Ye-es, sir, it's almost finished," I looked at his beer can. "Would you like another drink?"

Charlie grabbed his beer can and shook it sarcastically, sloshing around the liquid in the almost full can. I took the hint and ran back to the kitchen before the steak could burn.

I got Charlie's dinner plated quickly after turning off the stove. I walked carefully to the living room, being extra careful not to drop anything. I could be very clumsy.

"Your dinner's ready, sir," I stammered, handing over the steaming plate along with a towel. I sat a brand new can of beer on the table.

"Took you long enough," he slurred. "I'll be," -hiccup- "collecting later."

I cringed, but nodded, holding back the tears. I scurried back to the kitchen to clean up my mess and wait for Charlie to finish his mean before I went up to my room.

As I began climbing the stairs hours later, limping slightly from a sore ankle, I heard Charlie start to grumble.

"Where do you think you're going?" My breathing picked up. I was scared to death.

"T-to bed, sir. I hope you don't mind," it was nearing ten o'clock and I was dead tired. I wished I was dead. "I have school tomorrow," I added when he didn't reply.

"And you think I don't have to work? You think I stay up for the hell of it? I can't sleep! You think you're worthy enough for sleep? You're pathetic! Go!" He was shouting. He was so very angry, I thought I might hyperventilate from fear. I knew I might not wake up the next morning.

I continued to trudge up the stairs, tears running down my cheeks. I didn't know why I cried anymore. It wasn't like tears would change my fate. I, Isabella Swan, would be stuck here with my father forever. His drinking habits would always be there. His abusive tendencies. I was doomed for eternal damnation in the horrible house; in this small, cramped town where no one could hear my screams. If they could, they never thought to knock on the door to check on me. Never saw the bruises or the limps I would always carry with me.

When I made it to my bedroom, I took off my shoes and changed into sleep shorts. I sat on my bed, curled into a ball. I didn't try to fall asleep. I knew he would come after me later in the night. Maybe two AM or even in five minutes. Charlie was an insomniac and he would come whenever he felt like coming.

I wiped my tears and pulled out a book. Wuthering Heights. This paperback had seen better days. It's the only thing that seemed to get me through the hardships I faced. After a few pages, I started to doze. I laid the book on my chest and my head fell back, hitting the headboard, causing a dull thud.

But I soon realized, the thud hadn't come from the headboard. It was boots. They were climbing the stairs. I wasn't consistently religious, but when I knew danger was coming, I prayed. I asked God to save me. Just one more day was all I needed. Maybe I would have a chance. I closed my eyes, holding back the tears. _Please, God._

My eyes fluttered open the next morning, responding to my alarm. My head was pounding and my arms ached. The rest of my body was numb. I tried to sit up, the intense pain causing tears to prick my eyes, and pressed the button to turn off my alarm. I quietly thanked God for another day of living.

Once I made it to my bathroom to look in the mirror, I noticed purplish bruises in the shape of fingerprints coloring my arms and my wrists. My shirt was askew and the same bruises showed my on my stomach. I didn't even want to look at my legs. I didn't want to look at my face, either, but I forced myself to look at the damage. My eye was black and my lip was swollen and split, dried blood crusting over the cut. I looked like an MMA fighter the night after a match. Only I didn't fight back.

I struggled to get ready that morning. After my long, hot shower, I slid on a pair of loose jeans. To cover my bruises, I threw on a long sleeved t-shirt and, as a precaution, a hoodie with Fork High on the front. I put some powder (bought with the money I made at my secret job at Newton's Sports and Outdoors) around my eyes and mouth to cover up as much of the bruising as I could.

After slipping on my old, black chucks, I managed to make it down the stairs. The clock on the stove read seven o'clock. I had minimal time to make Charlie's breakfast. I scrambled eggs and fried bacon. I popped some bread in the toaster. As soon as it was all plated, I sat it on the table. Where a glass of orange juice would usually sit, a can of Rainier sat in its place.

I heard Charlie's bedroom door open and bolted to the door, grabbing my backpack on the way out. I couldn't be around him in the morning. He was worse without his beer than with and the last time I was around before he could drink it, I ended up with a broken nose and multiple bruises on my face and body.

The school was only a few blocks away. I walked, rain or shine – usually rain – since I didn't have a vehicle. Students crowded the parking lot, leaning against their jacked up trucks and shiny SUVS. I noticed a few new sports cars in the lot, tons of people gathered around them. I burned with jealously, but I sucked it up. I threw my hood up and shoved my hands in my pockets.

On the route to my locker, I saw the usual people in the hallways. Cheerleaders who wanted to avoid the muggy-ness of the outdoors. Jocks who were trying to get the attention of the cheerleaders. And nerds, who got in extra studying time before school. Then there was me, the girl with no friends. The girl whom no one paid any attention.

The bell rang. I started walking to my first period class. Something felt off about today. It wasn't the fact that it wasn't raining, nor was it the fact that we had a substitute in English. I could feel that something was going to happen. Something significant.

When class began, put my hood down and took my hands out of my pockets. I grabbed onto the ends of my sleeves to make sure they didn't come up and show the fresh bruises.

In the middle of the sub's lecture, a girl, short with black, spiky hair, bounced into the room. She had a glow around her, like a fairy. If she had a set of wings, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

"Hello, may I help you?" The sub asked the girl.

"Hi, I'm Alice," she smiled and stuck out her hand. After the sub shook it, she looks down at her sheet. "Are you Mrs...Letner?" Alice looks at the teacher expectantly, still smiling.

"No, Mrs. Letner is gone for the day. I'm Ms. Griffith, your substitute. Are you new?" Alice nodded. "Well, I'll be sure to leave a note for Mrs. Letner to let her know you've arrived. Please, take a seat anywhere."

Leave it to this little bubble of energy to take the empty seat beside me when there are plenty of empty desks scattered around the room. I looked over at her and she smiled and waved.

I gave a small smile back and turned back to the teacher. A few minutes later, I felt someone poke my shoulder. I shuddered and flinched away slightly, looking over to the pesky individual.

"Hi, I'm Alice," Alice introduced herself in a whisper. "What's your name?"

"Isabella." I answered. She kept looking at me expectantly, so I threw in, "nice to meet you."

"Isabella. That's such a pretty name. May I call you Bella?" I had heard the nickname before and it brought tears to my eyes thinking about it. Good, but sad memories came with them.

"Sure." I gave her a watery smile.

"I just moved here from Alaska. I don't really know anyone. You're my first friend. Do you want to sit together at lunch? My brothers and sisters can join us, as well! They're very welcoming, I'm sure they'll love to be your friend, too." I looked at her suppressing a giggle. She was really funny, talking a hundred miles per hour without breath or hesitation.

"I sit alone. I don't mind if you sit with me." And I didn't. I had never had a friend before. Not because I didn't want one, but because no one ever talked to me. They thought I was weird and too quiet.

Alice and I held our conversation for the next two class periods. It seemed we had every single one together. When the lunch bell rang, she dragged me to the cafeteria by my arm and I grit my teeth and bit my lip to keep from crying out. I went straight to my usual table while Alice got lunch.

"Aren't you hungry, Bella?" Alice asked when she sat down. I shook my head and she shrugged after looking at me for a moment.

Suddenly, Alice began to shout, "Emmett! Jasper! Rosalie!" I tried to hush her. Everyone was staring at us and I didn't like it.

Two guys and a girl made their way to our table. One guy was huge, in a muscle-y kind of way, like a linebacker. The other had shaggy, blond hair and reminded me of a hippy. The girl was a bombshell. She had long, blonde hair that she threw over her shoulder and a model-like figure.

"This is my brother, Emmett and his girlfriend, who is also my sister, Rosalie," She pointed to the huge guy and the bombshell. "And this is my boyfriend, Jasper." They shared a kiss and I studied them all. They were siblings...but they were together. Like, together, together? "I know what you're thinking. We're all siblings, but we're adopted, so it's totally okay for us to be together." Alice clarified. I nodded in understanding. "Guys, this is Bella! She's my new friend!" Alice beamed and put her arm around me.

"Nice to meet you, Bella," Jasper nodded in my direction. I smiled and waved.

Emmett came over and engulfed me in a giant hug, lifting me off my feet. "Hiya, Bella. It's great to meet you. Say, you're almost as tiny as Alice. Don't you eat?" I gave a fake laugh to cover my groans of pain. He put me down and I looked at Rosalie. She gave me a polite smile, but said no more.

We all sat down at the table, them eating and me just enjoying their company. Alice mentioned having another brother, but he wasn't here yet.

"Hey, there's Edward!" Alice said, looking toward the entrance. "Edward! Edward!" She shouted, raising her arm and waving. He walked through the crowds, I didn't get a good look at him.

"Where ya been, Ed?" Emmett asked.

The boy named Edward sat down beside me and I looked over. I let out a shallow gasp, too quiet for anyone to hear. Or so I thought.

Edward's gaze shot over to me. He looked me over and smiled. "Edward, this is Bella, my new best friend!" Alice interrupted.

"Good to meet you, Bella," Edward's voice was like honey, flowing over my aching body and soothing every bit of it. He held out his hand. I reached out to grab it, not noticing my sleeve coming up slightly. When our hands touched I felt a shock. A literal zap made our hands spring apart.

"Must be the static," Edward said, looking down at our hands. I looked down, too, noticing my sleeve and jerking it down quickly.

We made eye contact and stared each other down. His eyes were narrowed, as if he was analyzing me; as if he was reading my mind. I could feel my cheeks heat up.

"Yo, Ed, I know she's pretty and all, but it's not polite to stare," Emmett said loudly. I giggled and Edward went a little pink, but he didn't take his eyes off of me. I started to get a little nervous under his gaze.

Edward's piercing green eyes looked right through me. I knew if I didn't stay away from him, he would find out my secret. That couldn't happen, so I did the only logical thing I could think of. I got up out of my seat without saying goodbye and hastily walked to my next class.

**Yo, REVIEW! -Ann**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, second chapter is up early! One day, yeah, I know, I'm a good person. Ha. Okay, so you guys enjoy this and I'm going to go feed my Smallville addiction...season 1 for like the third time. It's so great..  
**

**Anyway, hope you like this chapter, it is a little shorter than the last one, but filled with a lot of info! Review when you're finished. :) -Ann**

"Yo, Ed, I know she's pretty and all, but it's not polite to stare," Emmett. That blockhead.

When my cheeks heated up at his omission, Bella giggled. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. Her beauty was radiant, bruises or no bruises.

Yes, her bruises. Finger-shaped. I had noticed those immediately when I looked down at her arms. They were scattered up her wrists and forearms. When I stared at her, she turned red and I could tell she was getting antsy.

Bella got up and practically ran out of the cafeteria, ignoring all of our calls after her. I had no idea what her next class was so I could go meet up with her afterward, so I waved goodbye to my siblings and went after her. She was racing down the hall, pushing through the kids who crowded in the hallway. I thought about calling after her, but I knew that would only make her run faster. When she ducked into Molina's room, I mentally fist pumped. That was also my next class.

Once I got into the classroom, I saw Bella sitting at one of the many empty lab desks. She had her hood up and was sorting through her books. I sat down beside her and she tensed.

"Hi," I said casually.

"Hi," she replied shortly. I noticed her fidgeting with her sleeves, trying to keep them pulled down.

"You got here quickly after lunch. Are you alright?" I didn't expect her to reply. But she was full of surprises.

"I'm fine," she didn't say another word and neither did I. The bell rang, ending our conversation officially.

I kept an eye on her the rest of the class period. She continued to fidget, even when she was taking notes. She had taken her hood down and I noticed how long and beautiful her hair was. I really just wanted to run my fingers through it. She unconsciously threw it over her shoulder from time to time, bringing down her arms quickly after doing so for obvious reasons.

When the bell rang, I discreetly followed Bella to her next class. It was my free period, so I didn't have anywhere I needed to be. If Bella sensed that I was following her she didn't let on. I noticed a crack in the sidewalk up ahead and I assumed she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, so I got a little closer to her. Sure enough, when she reached the crack, she tripped. I reached out my arms quickly to wrap around her stomach.

"Are you okay?" I asked when she whimpered. I looked down, noticing more bruises across her stomach, these were difference from the others. They were big and had ridges around the edges, like fists. I hadn't even given a thought to her having bruises in other places. She quickly pulled away from me, jerking her shirt down in the process.

"I'm fine," she continued to jerk on her hoodie, but I grabbed her hands gently and pulled them away.

"Who did this to you?" I ran my fingers over her bruises. I could feel my mouth open in horror, my eyes wide.

"No one," Bella answered quickly. "I fell." She pulled away from me again and tried to go on to the gym. I grabbed her before she could get far.

"Bella, you can't get finger-shaped bruises from falling," I said harshly. Did she think I was stupid?

"Well, I-I did," she stuttered. Tears started to collect in her eyes and I immediately felt bad. I let her go and she quickly walked into the gym.

I ran my hands over my face, groaning. I had to help Bella. Someone was hurting her and I couldn't let it keep happening. I was scared for her. I had just met her and I had already become so attached.

At the end of the day, I quickly made my way to my Volvo, where all my siblings were waiting. They questioned me, but I had no answers for them. I couldn't tell them my suspicions of someone hurting Bella. Then they would all get involved and Bella didn't need that.

"I'm going to see Bella," I told Alice when I dropped her off at the house. She had driven her Porsche today, but she let Jasper drive it home so she could get more info out of me. She didn't say this of course, but I knew Alice.

"You'll tell me everything when you get home, won't you, Edward?" She poked out her bottom lip and opened her puppy dog eyes wide. She knew I couldn't resist this face.

"Sure, Alice," I answered with a nod. She smiled and kissed my cheek before skipping into the house. She knew she had played me. I chuckled.

When I got to Bella's, whose address I got from the phone book after Alice gave me her full name, I jogged up to the door and knocked. She pulled it open cautiously.

"Edward? What are you doing here?" Her eyes flicked back and forth before settling on me with a panicked expression.

"I had to see that you were okay," I said, raking my eyes down her body. She was still wearing the same thing she had had on at school. "I'm not stupid, Bella, I know you can't get those bruises from falling. I want to know who gave you them and why."

"I just met you today," she said exasperated. "Don't you think you should wait a day or two before showing up on my doorstep and assuming things?"

"No," I answered bluntly.

"Edward, you have to go! If my father finds you here, he'll-" she cut herself off, her eyes filling with panic again.

"He'll what? Your father is the one doing this to you, Bella?" I grabbed her arm and pulled her sleeve down, exposing a smorgasbord of bruises.

She was silent. The next thing I know, a police car turns the corner, then pulls into the garage. Bella's eyes fill with dread and she tries to get me to leave again.

"Damn it, Edward, you have to leave. Now!" she tried to shove me out the door, but I didn't budge. I could hear boots on the garage stairs. "Please."

"No, I won't let him hurt you," I said fiercely with fire in my eyes.

The garage door slammed against the wall. I looked over to see a man's irate face. "Who the hell is this?"

"Edward Cullen," I stuck my hand out, but he just looked at it then back at me.

"What are you doing in my house?" The man I assumed to be Bella's father was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"I just came by to see Bella."

He scoffed, "her?" This made me angry. How dare he treat her as nothing? "Whatever. Bella, bring me my dinner and a beer. I've had a long day." Bella's eyes flashed with pure fear. I had a feeling that meant something that I wasn't aware of.

"See?" Bella pointed out. "He didn't hurt me. He just had a bad day at work. It's fine. You can leave now." I didn't want to leave her. She was scared and I knew she was in danger. She didn't want to admit it, but I knew her dad was the one hurting her.

"Edward, just go!" She shoved me as hard as she could, which wasn't much, but I stepped outside anyway. She shut the door softly behind me.

As I walked down the stairs, I contemplated what I was going to do to help Bella. A crash pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned back towards the door for a second, but talked myself out of going back, chalking the crash up to my imagination. Another crash followed soon after. I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair. No,if I went back, I could put Bella in even more danger than she already was. God, please be okay.

When I got back to the house, Alice was waiting right inside the door. I had a feeling she would have been at my car door had it not been raining.

"So, what'd she say?" Alice questioned.

"What would she have to say, Alice?" I had to see how much she knew. Had she seen the bruises on Bella's arms?

"Oh, I don't know, maybe something about her not eating? Or maybe the bruises on her arms?" So she had seen them.

"You saw those, too?"

"It was kind of hard not to." Alice shrugged.

"Well, she didn't say anything other than she fell. Then her father came home and yelled at her and she kicked me out. I tried to get her to open up, but she was too scared."

"Her father's name is Charlie Swan." Alice stated. I knew that name.

"I know that name. Isn't that the police chief? No wonder she's so afraid! Not only does she think no one will believe her if she opens up, but she's scared of what he's going to do to her if she does. It all makes sense now." I ran a hand threw my hair. This is an even bigger mess than I thought. "Shit."

"Did you hear anything after you left? Like yelling or something?"

"I heard crashing, but I assumed it was my imagination or maybe a ways down the street."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I think so," I knew I could trust Alice with anything, but if Bella didn't show up at school tomorrow because those crashes were actually her getting hurt, I would never forgive myself.

"Everything's going to be okay, Edward," Alice patted my back and skipped down the hall to her room.

I walked up to my room on the third floor. I turned my music on. No one ever bothered me when my music was on. Except Alice. But I can't help that. I tried to concentrate on the music, but it didn't last long. I had to think about Bella. Was she okay? I didn't know what I would do if she was hurt. I had only known her for day, but I had such strong feelings for her. I was attached.

Bella was beautiful. Her chocolate eyes made me melt inside. Yeah, I sounded like a total chick. I didn't know whether or not she liked me like I liked her, but I knew if she did, she would like me for me and not the 'pretty boy' everyone else did.

Please, Bella. Please protect yourself. Please be okay.

**Ay, don't leave. REVIEW! -Ann**


	3. Chapter 3

**Howdy, y'all. How's it going. You see, I'm not too happy. I mean, all these people are favoriting and following this story and me, but not reviewing. Not that that's a bad thing, you all obviously like the story, I guess. I just don't know how you really feel, if you know what I mean. I need criticism. I need advice. I need compliments. Lol. **

**Okay, I'm just busting your balls. You guys are great. Thank you for reviewing, favoriting, doing whatever you're doing. I love my readers whether I know them or not.**

**Thanks for reading, y'all. -Ann**

When Edward sat beside me and stared at me during the entire Biology hour, I had my suspicions that he would eventually ask me about my bruises. I knew for sure when I sensed him following me to the gym right after the bell rang. Sure enough, when he saved me from hitting the ground, we got into the most dreadful of topics. I played dumb of course, saying I fell, but I knew he wouldn't let it go.

But never did a million years did I expect him to show up at my doorstep. At first, I thought it was Charlie. I worried that he had come home early to catch me doing something wrong just to have an excuse to pound on me. Like he needed one. When I found Edward standing behind the door, I was shocked. Then I panicked and revealed more than I should have.

Now, I was in deep shit with no way to shovel myself out.

"Who the hell is this?" Charlie shouted.

When Edward introduced himself, I almost had a heart attack. What was he doing? Didn't he know what Charlie would do? No, he didn't. Charlie, of course, blatantly disregarded me like usual when Edward said he was here to see me. Now that Edward was gone, I was frightened.

"Bella, get in here!" I grabbed Charlie's plate and made my way to the living room. But Charlie got to me first. He grabbed the plate and threw it into the wall beside us. I flinched as it shattered and the pieces fell to the ground.

"So you're a whore now, too?" Before I could respond, his hand came up and connected with my face. I cried out and touched my cheek. It felt like it was on fire.

"Answer me!" Charlie shouted.

"N-no, s-sir," I stammered. His hand came up again, hitting the other side of my face.

"Don't lie to me!"

"I-I'm not-t. Ed-Edward is j-just a friend. He c-came over here on h-h-his ow-wn," I was a stuttering mess, trying to hold back my sobs.

Suddenly, Charlie shoved me. I automatically reached out to the table to catch my fall, but missed, bringing down a stack of plates. They shattered on the floor and cut my arms. I turned on my side to try and relieve the pain. Charlie took advantage of this. His hard boot connected with my stomach and I could feel a few of my ribs shift. It seemed like the most painful thing in the world and I clutched my stomach, trying to breath as I struggled to get to my feet.

Realizing he had had enough, he turned to walk back to the living room, forgetting his dinner, and grumbled, "Pick this up," he kicked a piece of glass.

I sobbed quietly as I swept the glass and food into a dustpan. The sobs hurt my chest so much, they only caused more to surface. I couldn't stop. After I was finished, I put everything away and tried to pass silently by Charlie.

"Where do you think you're going?" Charlie called after me. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I was just going to bed."

"I don't think so. Get me a beer."

I followed his order and hastily walked to the kitchen, my arm wrapped around my injured torso. I grabbed a beer for Charlie and after giving it to him, tried the stairs again.

"Don't get too comfortable," Charlie took a big gulp before belching. "I'll be up to deal with this situation some more."

My hand shot up to my mouth to cover my sobs. I knew what was coming. I ran up the stairs, not bothering to be careful with my chest and stomach. I shut the door to my room softly. As I laid on my bed, I sobbed into the pillow. Loud, hard, gut-wrenching sobs. The last time Charlie 'dealt with the situation' I ended up in the hospital.

When the doctors asked me about my broken leg and cracked ribs, Charlie quickly relayed to them that I 'fell' down the stairs, due to my clumsiness. The docs bought it without question. Just once, I hoped that they would question Charlie's honesty and find out that he's not the honest, well-behaved cop he wanted everyone to think he was. But that would never happen.

I sat back on my bed, staring at the opposite wall. It was no telling when Charlie would make him way up here. I couldn't do anything to take my mind off of it. I could only wonder how bad it would be. Last time, he grabbed me off the bed, simply dragged me to the stairs and, too weak to stop myself, let me roll right on down without stopping.

The sound of boots on the stairs, startled me awake. I had drifted, noticing the clock said midnight. I stared at the door, Charlie bursting through it seconds later. I closed my eyes and bit my lip, sitting like a doll waiting to be dragged around by a child.

He grabbed my arm, jerking me off the bed. I hit the ground hard, but I kept my eyes closed and my lip between my teeth. He kept the foreplay to a minimum. He dragged me across my floor and the hallway, stopping at the stairs. He nudged me into place with his boot at, what I could only assume was, the top of the stairs.

"It's all your fault," He muttered. He often said this when doing something serious to me. I began to pray again. "It's all your fault."

His boot connected with my chest. The kick was hard and calculated, like he was punting a football. I tumbled down the stairs. I reached out, trying to grab onto something. I refused to open my eyes and see the world going by in circles. When I couldn't grasp onto anything, I decided to accept my fate.

I hit the ground. My eyes opened. Charlie was standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at me. I reached out to him for help. My entire body was numb with pain. I saw him turn. Then everything went black.

**Walk out of the story, like whuddup, REVIEW! Or favorite, follow. Whatevs.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so I wrote this really good author's note on chapter 5, not realizing that I still needed to post chapter 4. Not to mention, a day late. But hey, I was a day early two weeks in a row! **

**Anyway, this chapter is on the shorter side, I promise chapter 5 is much longer and I have many things to talk about in that chapter, too. So, just stick with me until next week. It's a good chapter and I'm sure y'all are excited for it. I know I am!**

**See you at the bottom! -Ann**

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the front door slamming. I try to sit up, ignoring the knives stabbing me in the back and chest. A few of my ribs were definitely broken. I would take myself to the hospital if I wasn't afraid I would stutter out a sorry excuse for an answer. Then they would question me and Charlie would come down. That would make it worse for all involved.

I trudged up the stairs and into my bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. I gasped. My lip was busted completely open and my eyes were blacker than Alice's hair. My nose was slightly crooked, but not broken, so I adjusted it quickly with a few second of pain both in my nose and wrist. It hurt if I even touched it. There was also a small cut on my forehead at my hairline.

After showering, my lip looked a little better. The blood had washed away from my chin and the cut on my forehead was barely noticeable.

I grabbed some clothes and laid them on my bed. My clock read 7:30 and I knew I wasn't going to be at school on time. I put makeup under my eyes and over the cut on my forehead. The cut on my lip would be fine.

It was 8:00 before I could even put my jeans on. I was in so much pain. My chest hurt, my back hurt, my wrist hurt, my whole body ached like never before. I could barely get my clothes on, but I finally managed to put on a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. I grabbed some sunglasses, though they would look suspicious since it was completely cloudy outside, I had to wear them to cover my eyes.

As I was walking down the stairs, I started to cough. It hurt so bad, I tried to stop, but I couldn't. They were deep, everything-is-coming-up coughs and I thought I might puke. When I brought my hand back from my mouth, it was covered in blood.

I ran to the bathroom, washing it off. Tears ran down my cheeks as I grabbed an old rag out of the cabinet. It should save me from running to the bathroom every time I had to cough. I stuffed it in my hoodie and grabbed my backpack before running out the door.

It was approaching lunch time when I arrived at the school. By the time I made it out of my truck, I knew everyone would be in the cafeteria when I got there. The walk was gruesome and tiring and I held my ribs the entire way there to ease some of the pain.

Right before I made it to the doors, I had a coughing fit. I grabbed the rag and leaned against the lockers as my lungs made their way into my throat. Blood soaked the rag when I was finished and I quickly put it away before I could gag.

The gang was sitting at our lunch table when I walked into the lunch room. Edward was the first to notice me. He got up and hurried over to me, but I ignored him. I couldn't face him right now. My sunglasses hid the tears in my eyes when I saw the hurt in his.

"Bella!" He called after me, grabbing my arm. I gasped and choked on a sob. My wrist throbbed so painfully. He let go like it had burned him. "What'd he do to you?" He looked me dead in my covered eyes.

"Nothing," I answered, turning my back on him. I used my sleeves to wipe the tears from my cheeks. "I'm fine."

I sat down by Alice, clutching my chest and biting my lip to keep in the cry of pain. Edward wasn't far behind me and quickly took the seat beside me.

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked. Great, another Cullen to lie to.

"I'm great, Alice," I could feel a lump rising in my throat and this time not from the tears. I turned away from the table and grabbed the rag from my hoodie, hacking into it like a cat who had a hair ball lodged in its throat so big it couldn't breathe so it just kept hacking.

I closed the rag after I was finished and stuffed it into my front pocket before turning around. The whole table was staring at me and I gave them a fake, reassuring smile, "I'm fine, guys, just a little cold."

"Are you sure, Bella? You could come by after school and have Carlisle take a look at you," Alice suggested.

"Carlisle?"

"Our adoptive father. He's the hospital's new doctor."

"No!" I shouted a little too quickly. "I mean, seriously, guys, I'm fine. I don't need a doctor to tell me what I already know."

I looked over at Edward, who was usually the first one to speak up. When I met his eyes, they were full of panic. I tried to reassure him, "Edward, really, I'm fine."

Pain rocketed through my chest again. Talk less, got it. I clutched my chest, holding back a groan.

"Bella, can I talk to you, please?" Edward asked. I hesitated for a few second before nodded.

We got up and walked toward the side exit, where no one ever goes because it's the least protection from the rain. But today it was just drizzling, so Edward guided me to a nearby tree with my arm still holding my chest gasping for air.

"Bella, I know there's something you're not telling me."

"No, there isn't!" I gasped out in a yell.

"What is it? What hurts?" He held his arms up in an attempt to help me.

I wouldn't give into him and tell him. I couldn't risk his life in an effort to save my own, so I turned to go back into the school. I was almost there until my clumsiness took over and I tripped on the edge of the concrete. Surface.

I braced myself for what could be the worst pain in my life. I hoped Edward was close enough to catch my fall, but I heard him yelling my name as the ground spiraled toward me. I hit the ground, and screamed at the top of my lungs in pain. Edward reached me and felt my chest.

"Bella, I've been around my father enough to know that you can't break ribs from the way you fell," He pulled up my sleeve and felt my arm where he grabbed earlier. "You can't get a broken wrist, either. I'm taking you to the hospital whether you like it or not."

I groaned and felt him lift me off the ground. Once again, I felt blackness swallow me whole.

**Like, she passed out _again_. What. You know, I would pass out if I got like three reviews on this chapter. THREE. But hey, you know, I'm not gonna push... JK, REVIEW OR DIE. -Ann  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**IMPORTANT: Writing this note on 6.11.13. I received a review about my previous author's note at the end of chapter 4. When I said review or die, I didn't literally mean that of course and for all of you who took it as serious as this person did, I apologize. I will refrain from 'threatening' you to review ever again. If you felt like I should have been more subtle, I definitely will think about what I write in my ending author's note. I feel like that's going to be a thing now, that I say something to get you to review, just to make you chuckle. But I guess I went too far with my last one. I apologize again for causing any offense to anyone and if you do not review, you will NOT die. Just a favorite and a follow mean the world to me. Thank you! And I apologize again! Also, to the same person who brought this up, I understand you giving me some criticism about Bella's injuries. But really, this is a fanfic, not real life, so if you wanna say, and I quote, " . . . don't you dare say she has a punctured lung because [enter various reasons here] . . . ", just think about that. I will write what I want and take into consideration the nicely given constructive criticism that my readers give me; however, you can take your rude comments and kindly shove them up your ass! Okay, thank you. Enjoy the story. **

**Anyway! So y'all want longer chapters. I feel ya, I feel ya. Who doesn't want to keep reading, never wanting the story to end? I am more than happy to oblige...big but coming..._BUT_ this wish granting comes with a few conditions. While increasing chapter length, you may have to deal with alternating points of view and/or events being repeated, not word for word, of course, in separate points of view. I hate when they give you two point of views, but they repeat the exact same thing only putting different pronouns and shit in there and two chapters are literally the exact same thing, but in another point of view. Seriously? Like, no.**

**This is the longest chapter yet (along with the longest author's note, lol) and I got it out without either alternating points of view and repeating of previous events. I hope you all know how grateful I am for your feedback and favoriting and following me! It makes me so happy to know that you guys are reading this and enjoying it enough to continue. I'll see you at the bottom for another funny, not-so-funny, one liner about reviewing. Love all my readers! :-) K, bye. -Ann**

I felt Bella's body go limp in my arms, but I could still see her chest rise and fall, so I knew she just passed out. I slid the sunglasses she still had on her face off slowly. Both of her eyes were black and her lip was bleeding. My blood boiled, knowing very well who did this to her.

"It'll be okay, Bella," I said to her unconscious body as I slipped her into my car. I quickly started it and sped to the hospital, pedal to the floor.

I carried her into the emergency building as soon as we got there. I knew a few nurses there, but not many, but today I was lucky enough to find one I knew sitting at the desk.

"I need Carlisle, hurry!" I yelled. I balanced Bella in my arms so her head was hanging off.

"Oh my!" She panicked and quickly got up to get to the phone. She dialed Carlisle's pager number. I saw him quickly emerge from one of the doors down the hall soon after.

"Edward! What are you doing here? Who is this?" He asked.

"This is Isabella Swan. I think she has a couple broken ribs, a completely broken wrist, a busted lip, and two black eyes. Maybe more, I didn't really have time to assess her, nor am I an actual doctor, so I don't know if..." I rambled.

"You can tell me what happened later, son, but right now we need to get her in a room immediately before the bones start to set and rupture her lungs in any way." He called to a team of nurses and assistants and got a gurney to put Bella on. He hurried her through the swinging metal doors to the OR to put her back together.

I paced as I stared at the room, wishing more than anything that I could go in there with him. I waited for what seemed like forever, but was really just a few hours. Carlisle came out, looking tired and worn.

"Is she okay? What's the matter with her Carlisle?" I asked in a rush. In the back of my mind I knew he wasn't allowed to tell me anything, but I hoped he would spare the rules just once after I told him what had been going on with Bella.

"The most severe thing we discovered is a scraped lung. One of her ribs were cracked and then when it completely broke, it cut the edge of her lung. We had to go in and stop slight bleeding. But Edward, her wounds did not just happen today. They've been that way for a day or two. Do you have any suspicions that she may be experiencing anything at home?" He pulled the serious, I-need-to-know-everything-right-now-I'm-a-doctor face.

"Her father's abusing her," I whispered. I buried my head in my hands, feeling entirely guilty. I knew what had happened. Her father was angry at her because of me. Because I put my nose where it doesn't belong. "This is all my fault."

"Did you say her _father_ is abusing her? The police chief of Forks? Edward, I-"

"No! He did it, Carlisle, I know he did!" I yelled. He instantly shushed me and ushered me to his office.

"I need you to calmly tell me what happened," he reasoned. He sat down at his desk while I brooded in front of him.

I told Carlisle everything. From meeting her at the lunch table to going over to her house to hearing the crashes after I had left, ending with her passing out on the way to the hospital. I told him about Charlie's abrasive behavior and Bella's scared demeanor. He looked at me disbelievingly.

"Dad, we need to help her. There's absolutely no doubt that Charlie will walk in this hospital as soon as he finds out that she's here and act like an unconditional loving father. Bella won't tell you what you need to know while he's in the room. You have to keep him out of her room!"

"Edward, you know I can't do that. We have no proof..."

"No proof? NO PROOF? Did you see the fucking bruises on her arms? Is that not enough for you!" I stood up quickly, the chair behind me toppling over. "Does she need to die for you to see that her father is the one causing her harm?" I was about to continue, but a nurse knocked on my father's office door.

"Doctor, she's awake," the nurse said quietly. She looked back and forth between us and I knew she could feel the tension.

My father nodded and got up from his chair. I followed after him, but he shoved his hand to my chest, effectively stopping me in my tracks. "You stay here. We'll talk about this later," he was angry. I could tell. His voice was low and his eyes filled with fire. But I was angrier.

"I'm going to see her," I spat. I pushed by him and started down the hall. I wasn't expecting him to grab my arm and slam me into the wall in a nearby, abandoned hallway.

"You will stay here and calm down!" Carlisle whisper-shouted. "I will come get you after I have thoroughly checked her over." I pushed his hand off of me. He walked away as I slid to the floor.

I took a deep breath. Dad was right, I did need to calm down. I instantly felt bad for the way I treated him and the way I cursed at him. I would apologize as soon as he got back.

"Edward," I looked up to see Carlisle walking toward me. I got up and walked over to him. "She's asking for you."

"Listen, dad, I'm sorry for the way I treated you, I shouldn't have..."

"Son, it's okay. You care for her. I would have done the same, had it been your mother. Go to her," He patted my back and we walked to the end of the hall together before parting ways.

"Bella," I knocked on her door when I got to her room.

"Edward!" Her face lit up, but went dim again soon after. "Oh, Edward, how could you bring me here?"

"What do you mean? How could I have not brought you here?"

"Charlie he...we don't have the money for this, Edward. The hospital bill is too much. I certainly can't pay for it myself. When I go home...it's going to be so awful. This will be nothing compared to what will happen. Last time..." She cut herself off and I wanted to shake her and make her tell me everything that's happened to her.

"What do you mean 'last time'? Has he done this to you before?" I rushed to her bedside and grabbed her hand.

She looked at our conjoined hands then up at me before closing her eyes and take a deep breath. Slowly, she nodded, answering my question.

"Bella, tell me what happened. What did he do to you?"

She bit her lip. Her eyes clenched shut tighter. I swear I felt her body shudder as if she was in pain. I squeezed her hand to encourage her and her eyes opened and gazed at me longingly. "Tell me," I pleaded.

She took another deep breath, releasing it loudly. "Last New Year's, I went to a party at my friend's house. Rarely does Charlie every let me go to a friend's house, not like it mattered because I didn't have that many. That night, she invited practically the whole school over to her house because her parents were gone. There was alcohol, of course, and everyone was drunk. I even had a few sips, but I wasn't near as bad as everyone else. This guy, Jake, and I were hanging out when the countdown began. He whispered things in my ear that every girl wants to here and by the time the fireworks started going off, we were making out on my friend's couch.

"It hadn't been five past midnight before the door slammed against the wall. Everyone went silent and Jake pulled away from me to see what all the commotion was about, but he didn't pull away soon enough. Charlie ended up being the one at the door and as soon as he laid eyes on Jake and I, he shoved people to the side to get to me. He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the house, all the while screaming at me and all the other kids, threatening to throw them all in jail for under-age drinking. That was the end of that friendship and every other one I could have ever had.

"When we got home, Charlie threw me around, like I'd expected, but he started hitting harder and through me up against the wall. He started touching me and tell me that he was the only one who could do the stuff that Jake was doing to me. After he was finished with everything in my bedroom, he dragged me to the stairs and let go of my arm and the very top step. Being too weak to stop myself, I rolled right down them, hitting my head, causing a serious concussion that knocked me out for three days. I broke my leg, my arm, and broke a few ribs. Charlie threw me in the cruiser who knows how long after the 'fall' and took me to the hospital. While he was there, he cared for me and acted like a loving father would. While the nurses and doctors were around. He told them I tripped over the rug at the top of the stairs." She scoffed, tears running down her cheeks. "The rest of the time he was belittling me and telling me how much he was going to 'deal with me' when we got back home.

"Since that accident, he was been mostly careful when hitting me, making sure it was in places I could hide. He hasn't pushed me down the stairs since that night. When he realized he had made a mistake and gave me a few too many bruises and cuts to explain, he kept me home from school. To this day, everyone in town thinks I'm just a clumsy, shy girl with a wonderful father who does nothing...nothing b-but lov-ve h-h-her..." She choked on the sobs that were trying to escape her throat, which only got worse as she jostled her ribs. I held her hand tightly in my own, thinking about what I could possibly do to save her. Right now, all I could do was page a nurse to get her some more pain medication.

"Who knows what he's going to do when he finds out _you_ brought me here. Oh, God, Edward, you have to get me out of here!" She started yanking on her blankets and IV chords and I jumped up to stop her.

"You can't keep worrying about whether or not he will hurt you. I can't let anything else happen to you, Bella. I can't. He won't hurt m...you anymore," I caught myself before 'my Bella' slipped out. It had a nice ring to it. My Bella. I wanted her to be mine. But I couldn't do this now.

"I can't do anything about it! I can't tell anyone, I have to go back!" She started to get angry. "Don't you understand! He is the police chief of a small town. Everyone knows him and everyone knows me. You think they would believe that he would abuse me on a daily bases? For God's sake, Edward, if I told anyone, they would put me in an institution if Charlie didn't kill me first!" She was yelling and I was afraid she was going to hurt herself even further.

Before I could make a reassuring remark, Carlisle walked into the room. Weird, I hadn't heard a door open or shut.

"Bella, I'm with Edward. We can't let him hurt you anymore." My jaw was probably on the floor. Just minutes ago, Carlisle was trying to convince me I was crazy for thinking Charlie could be hitting Bella.

"Dad..." I started.

"Stop. I heard everything. I came in to take Bella's vitals and heard you to talking. I figured if you were right, you might be able to get Bella to open up about the abuse, so I stayed out of sight," he looked toward Bella. "I'm not sorry about this, Bella. I have to report this to the police or I could lose my job and maybe another life in the process."

"You can't! How can you people not understand this yet? He is the police! He is the one who will answer your call to report this! Nothing will help!" She was sobbing in both sorrow and anger. I feared she was at a point of breaking.

"Bella, I'll call a detective in from Seattle. Or Port Angeles. Charlie won't know anything about any of it until they show up on his doorstep to take him to prison," Carlisle assured her.

"I c-c-can't," Bella sputtered.

"You can and you will!" I said angrily. "Fear will get you nowhere, Bella."

We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. She looked into my eyes and I tried to convey my sincerity in them. After a few minutes, she nodded. I internally jumped for joy at the thought of Charlie disappearing for good.

"I'll go call the detective. We'll keep you safe, Bella." With that, Carlisle left the room. I sat back down in the chair next to Bella's bed.

Out of nowhere, I hear an angry growl. I looked over at Bella, who was blushing and holding her stomach. I thought back to all of the times we spent together. At lunch, no tray in front of Bella. At her house, only a plate made for her dad. At the hospital, she hadn't been here long enough to receive dinner.

"Bella, how long has it been since you've eaten?" At her shrug, I pulled back the blanket that covered her. The hospital gown engulfed her and I laid a hand on her stomach. Her ribs were wrapped, but I could still feel a few of them, not the broken ones, poking at my fingers.

"Does Charlie let you eat? Give you any money to eat?" I looked at her face, which I noticed was gaunt and seemingly hollow. My eyes narrowed in concern. She shook her head. I closed my eyes to try and contain my anger. I took a deep breath before staring back into he frightened brown eyes.

"I'm going to save you, Bella. One way or another."

**I DON'T SEE WHY YOU'RE HATING OUTSIDE THE STORY. YOU DIDN'T EVEN REVIEW!**

**Okay, that sucked ass. Just review, y'all. If you want. -Much love, Ann.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Guys, this was even longer than the last chapter. *claps like a maniac* Lol. For real, though, you guys are amazing. Like, I don't know what I'd do without you. Thank you for your kind words and reviews. I feel like I know who my consistent readers are and you are just the best thing I could ever ask for! Just too kind...really. **

**To address those who asked, no, the Cullen's are not vampires. This is an all human story. If it wasn't, I would imagine that Edward would 'accidentally' lose control and rip out Charlie's jugular. Oops.**

**So I'm just fangirling over Man of Steel!? Lol. I'm obsessed with Superman. Especially the Tom Welling version. Can you say fuck me silly? MY LAWD. Lololol. Okay, I'm done. Enjoy the chapter, lovlies! -Ann**

BPOV

To say I was nervous about speaking to the authorities would be a massive understatement. I'd only given a brief thought to telling someone that Charlie hit me and that was almost a year after my mother died. That thought quickly escaped my brain after Charlie caught me talking to one of the neighbors before he got home.

_I saw Ms. Cope outside working in her garden when I got home from school. I knew my father wouldn't be home for another hour or so. This could be my chance. Ms. Cope was a sweet old lady who always greeted me when she saw me. Her husband had passed a few years ago and all of her children had moved far away. She was a lonely widow and sometimes I would go to see her when I had the chance. Her and my mother her very good friends. I knew I could trust her and hopefully she would believe me when I told her what had been happening to me since my mother had passed away. _

_I started Charlie's dinner on the stove and made sure it could sit for a while before going out the front door and crossing the driveway to Ms. Cope's yard. _

"_Hello, Ms. Cope," I greeted her. She turned, a little startled and smiled. _

"_Hello, dear, how are you?" She gave me a concerned look and for a moment I thought she knew what I had come over here for. _

"_I'm not doing so well," I tried not to cry. "I was hoping I could talk to you about something important." She quickly sat down her watering can and ushered me to her porch swing a few feet away. _

"_Of course, darling, you can tell me anything," she laid a comforting hand on my shoulder and I opened my mouth to start confessing everything. _

"_After my mother died, Charlie he..." A honk resounded through the quiet neighborhood. I look over and there was Charlie in his cruiser, parked in the driveway. His expression through the window was irate and I instantly tensed. _

"_Bella, I want you to go inside, I'll speak with your father." Ms. Cope ushered me to the door and when I tried to protest, she put a hand on my cheek with a simple, 'hush'. _

_I went into the living room where there was an open window facing the front porch. I could clearly see and hear the conversation between my father and Ms. Cope. _

"_Where is my daughter?" Charlie asked. Ms. Cope smiled kindly and I briefly wondered if it was fake. _

"_I just invited her in for a cup of tea. If you don't mind, I'll send her home soon." I saw Charlie tense up and his mustache twitched in frustration. _

"_I would actually prefer if she came home with me right now."_

"_Oh, Charlie, it's only for little while and it's only five o'clock. She will be home in..."_

"_I want my daughter, now, Shelly." Charlie pushed by her, nearly knocking her off the porch steps, but she grabbed the rail just in time. _

_I met Charlie at the door, mainly to make sure Ms. Cope was okay. "Let's go, Isabella. We'll deal with this later." He gave me a look; one that I had become well acquainted with._

_As we passed by Ms. Cope, she reached out and grabbed my arm. "It'll all be alright, Bella."_

"_I-I..." I was at a loss for words. _

"_I know, honey," she kissed my forehead then looked into my eyes. "You hold on, Bella. You hold onto the hope of getting out of that house and away from that awful man. Just hold onto the hope." She ran her hands through my hair and hugged me before Charlie yanked on my arm and dragged me back to the house. _

It was almost like Ms. Cope knew she was going to die two days later. I had always remembered her wise words. Over the years, thinking that maybe killing myself would be the better way out, I always thought about Ms. Cope. The way she said her last words to me reminded me of my mother.

When Charlie dragged me back home that day, he enforced the usual punishment. But that was the first day that Charlie acted sexually towards me. He touched me, but didn't rape me. No, the first time he did that was the first time he threw me down the stairs on New Year's.

Edward was down in the cafeteria getting me food. He thought I was too skinny and I'd have to agree with him. Charlie never allowed me to eat and though I did try and sneak in as many meals and/or snacks as I could between school and the time Charlie was home, but it was hardly possible.

When the door opened to my room, I look over to see Edward with a tray piled high with food. My eyes widened comically as I eyed the pizza, chips, sandwiches, and other fattening foods.

"Here's your food," Edward sat it down on the moving table and slid it over my bed to where it was in front of me. He sat down in the chair and looked at me expectantly.

"Are you joking? I can't eat all of this!" I looked back at the food, my eyes still wide and my mouth just the same. "I'll look like a freaking cow!"

"Bella, you could never look like a cow, skinny as you are!" Edward looked at me like I was crazy, but I simply laughed.

"Did you know, Edward? A double zero is the new six. It would do me good to lose a few pounds." I patted my stomach and smiled so he knew I was kidding.

"You do not just say you are a size double zero. I didn't even know that was a real size! Eat, right now!" He shoved the food closer to my face with a furious expression on his face. I hadn't meant to upset him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," I said quietly. His face softened and he touched my hand.

"Just eat, Bella. That's what will make me happy." I picked up the pizza and took a huge bite, grinning as I did it. He chuckled and shook his head.

When I sat down my pizza and swallowed the huge bite, the door to my room slammed against the wall. I jumped and looked over to see an irate Charlie huffing and puffing. If it were possible, I was sure smoke would be coming out of his ears.

"What the hell are you doing here? You think I didn't leave you lying on the floor for a reason?" Spit flew from Charlie's mouth as he admitted to wanting me dead. If I had stayed on the floor, I surely would have died eventually. Though Carlisle hadn't told me the extent of my injuries, I gathered that what I had endured was pretty serious.

"I'm here because you pushed me down the fucking stairs!" I snarled back at him. Never had I cursed at my father, but I was feeling brave. Edward was beside me and I was in a crowded hospital. I didn't think he would be able to do that much to me. "You're gonna have to try a lot harder if you want to kill me." I glared at him with all the fury I had.

My previous theory was proven wrong when his hand came up and slapped me in the face. I cried out, my lip, eyes, and nose still swollen from the beating he gave me the day before.

"Bella!" I heard Edward yell, I looked up to find him dangerously close to jumping over the bed and tackling Charlie. "I would appreciate if you left this room!"

Charlie narrowed his eyes at Edward. "Sit down, boy, this is none of your concern!"

"I wouldn't do anything to him or me, _dad_. A detective is here to take my statement and you better know damn well, I'm going to tell him nothing but the truth," I threatened.

"Don't you threaten me, little girl. You tell him one single thing and I'll make sure you end up back here in a coma and never wake up!" Charlie's voice was low and menacing. "I'll be the one to sign the papers to pull the plug on your breathing supply without hesitation!"

I looked around frantically for Edward, but he wasn't there. I panicked and Charlie could tell. I tried not to cry, knowing it would only make the situation worse.

"Your little boyfriend isn't here to protect you now, is he?" He moved closer to where my IV bag hung on the pole. "I could easily pull this..." He yanked on a cord and it ripped out of my arm and the bag that it was attached to. My arm was on fire from the tube being yanked out of it and I noticed that it was my pain medication.

"The nurses will come in here and question you. I wouldn't do anything else if I were you," I gasped in pain.

"You think they'll believe you? Over the police chief? I know every detective and officer in the state, your word will never hold up!"

Suddenly the door burst open and Carlisle and two male nurses came rushing in.

"Doctor, I'm so glad you're here! Isabella was getting upset and pulled the plug on her pain medication. I was so worried for her, I stayed by her side. I knew you would have to come sometime." Charlie sounded the part of a concerned father.

I glanced at Carlisle and noticed he was giving me a look. I nodded, knowing what it was. The nurses rushed over and quickly put the tube back in my arm. Edward walked in soon after looking scared.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Some detective are here to speak to Isabella and I ask that there be no one in here when that happens."

"You can't keep me from seeing my daughter!" Charlie cried out, faking distress.

"It's not my choice, sir," Carlisle shrugged.

Charlie through down my hand, which he had grabbed during his act. It was the hand with a hurt wrist and I bit my lip before I could cry out in pain.

After Charlie left the room, the other moved to leave as well, but I grabbed Edward's hand. "Edward, stay. Please," I pleaded.

"Bella, I don't know if I can..."

"Carlisle, please. Let him stay. I can't do this without him here."

He hesitated before nodding his head. Edward sat back down and I squeezed his hand in thanks. When I tried to let go of it, he wouldn't let me and gripped it tighter.

A few minutes of silenced passed before a man in a long trench coat with a notepad and pen in his hand walked in. I assumed he was the detective. He did look very detective-y.

"Hello, Ms. Swan, I'm Detective Marshall," the detective greeted. "Let's get down to business." He readied his pen after grabbing a chair to sit in. "How about you start by telling me how your accident happened." The first words out of his mouth and I'm already freezing up like a Popsicle. Edward rubbed my hand and I softened a little.

"It wasn't an accident," I stated confidently after a few seconds.

"Are you saying you did this to yourself?" He asked, writing something down.

"No!" I answered quickly. He quirked his eyebrow at me. "My father did this to me. He drinks a lot and he kicked me down the stairs."

"Your father, Charles Swan, the police chief of Forks...did you say _kicked_ you down the stairs?"

"Yes, and I know you don't believe me, but it's true!" I whispered just loud enough so he could hear me, "like he was punting a football."

"I see," he scribbled something down on his notepad. "Tell me when this happened. Start at the beginning of that day."

I proceeded to tell the detective everything I could remember. From going to school that day to Edward coming to my house and then Charlie smashing the plate in the kitchen. I gave him every single detail, leaving nothing out. I wouldn't downplay this for the benefit of escaping Charlie's wrath. I wanted to get out of that house, away from him. Hopefully he would go to prison. But I couldn't count on my luck to get me that far.

"May I ask, why didn't you come to the hospital before?" Detective Marshall asked after I finished telling him about the incident.

"I knew Charlie would find out. He can't pay the bills, he expects me to! And he knows I can't, so he takes money out of the account my mother set up for me before she died. I don't come to the hospital because if I came every time he hit me, that fund would be empty by the time I graduated high school! I need that money for college and my future!"

"You said he's done this to you before. How many times, would you say, and what did he do?"

I thought back to one of the worst times Charlie had ever abused me. I couldn't handle the images that hit me and I gasped for breath. My chest started to hurt and tears sprang to my eyes. I began to sob and Edward gripped my hand hard.

"Detective Marshall, I don't think she can speak anymore. If you have any further question, please, contact my father and we can set up a meeting a my house for Bella to speak with you another time." The detective must have understood because it wasn't a minute later before I heard the door to my room being shut.

"Th-thank y-you, E-Edward," I sobbed. He hugged me to his chest the best he could without hurting me and ran his hand through my hair comfortingly.

"It's no problem, Bella." He waited until my crying calmed before pushing the moving table with my food on it back over to me. It was steaming so he must have warmed it up when I wasn't paying attention. "You need to eat and rest. You'll be able to leave in a few hours."

I nodded and began eating. I had eaten almost the entire tray before I couldn't eat another bite. I told Edward I was finished and he took the tray away while I got ready for my nap. The nurse came in and gave me some more pain medication so I could sleep.

I was in the final stages of falling asleep, when I heard the whispers of an angel. "Sweet dreams, My Bella."

**Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na RE-VIEW!**

**That was supposed to be the Batman theme. If you didn't figure that out. Everyone who reviews gets a Batman sticker! Just kidding. I hate Batman. Team Joker forevssss. -Ann**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, y'all. TWO CHAPTERS IN TWO DAYS! I'm a great person I know. Lol. This is a shorty, though. Just sayin. Thanks for your love. You guys are awesome! (Imagine that in a high pitched, excited voice) I started work the other day. It was boring. I worked for hours making sno cones. Bleh. Oh well, whatever pays the summer bills. And it doesn't hurt that I get free ones. ;) Love you guys! -Ann**

I was shocked at myself. I could not believe I said that out loud. She wouldn't have been asleep yet, so she definitely hurt me. She didn't wake up and tell me off, so I was going to take that as a good thing.

I sighed and went to sit on the couch at the far end of the room. I began to think about where Bella would go after she left the hospital. Surely they wouldn't make her go back and live with Charlie. I guess they didn't have any proof that he did this to her, so they couldn't very well take her out of his house.

I would say she could go live with her mother, but Bella said she had died. I think her mother and her father were married when she died, anyway, so that might not have even made a difference.

She could live with me and my family. I know my siblings wouldn't mind, but Carlisle and Esme are a different story. We don't exactly have a guest bedroom and Alice and Rosalie's rooms were out because their boyfriends made a nightly appearance in there. She could sleep in my bedroom, I had a couch I could sleep on. I would never make Bella sleep on the couch. I could already picture the scene if she were to sleep in my room. I would sleep on the couch, but she would protest. But after a few minutes, I would convince her that her injuries would not feel very good on the couch. Then she would reluctantly agree to let me have the couch.

I laughed to myself as I thought about the situation. I would love to have Bella come live with us. She was practically already family to my siblings and I. She would have to get to know Carlisle and Esme, but as soon as they met her, I know they would love her. Obviously, she already met Carlisle, but that was under medical circumstances. Surely he would love her when he met her any other time.

I was pulled from my musings by Charlie bursting into the room. I jumped up, moving in front of Bella to protect her. There was no way I would let him touch her, like he would try again when there were people right outside the room.

"Move out of the way, boy. You don't even need to be in here. Who knows what you could be doing with her in a room like this."

"This is a hospital room. Why would Bella and I do something in a hospital room when someone, like you, could walk in at any moment? I'm surprised you even care for your daughter's best interest."

"She isn't my daughter. She's a mistake that her whore of a mother trapped me into keeping."

I stared at him in utter shock and anger. How could he possible say that about his own daughter? How cruel can you get?

"How can you say that? Why are you even here? To torture her? Threaten her, like you did a while ago? Oh, and I'll have you know, she told the detective everything."

Charlie's eyes went wide for a second, then he composed himself. "If she told that detective a damn thing, she's gonna be in a lot worse shape then she is now."

"I think you should get out of this room. I think you should get out of this hospital. Now. Bella isn't coming home to you. She will never live with you again if I have anything to say about it. You are the most vile, repulsive, dishonest man I have ever met in my entire life. I don't see how you even made the police force." He stood there taking everything in for a minute, then he moved closer to me.

"You listen here, I will get Bella back. Whether it's in court or if I have to come get her myself, she'll be in my house, under my roof, until the day I die." He stomped towards the door.

"Well, we all hope that's very soon." I couldn't believe I just said that. I mean, this man hurt Bella, but I have never told someone I hope they die. But I couldn't bring myself to regret it. If Charlie was gone, this whole mess would be over for good.

When Charlie left the room, I went back over to the couch to watch Bella sleep. Calm me a creep, but she was so innocent and beautiful in her sleep. It was like the whole world didn't exist and it was just her, in peace. But that all went away when she started yelling and screaming things in her sleep. She was having a nightmare.

"NO! STOP, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU! NO! PLEASE!" She was screaming and I rushed over to her to try and shake her awake. I called for her, but it only seemed to make her thrash around more.

"Bella! Bella, you've got to wake up! He'll go away if you just wake up! Come on Bella, wake up!" I said loudly. One of the nurses came in and supposedly Carlisle had heard it in his office, so he came rushing in too. "She's just having a nightmare. I'm trying to wake her up. She'll be fine if she'll just wake up."

"EDWARD HELP ME!" She screamed.

"Bella, I will if you just open your eyes! Wake up!"

"Edward! Please!" She finally quit screaming and opened her eyes. She was gasping for breath and she was sweating, "Bella? Are you okay?"

"I-I think s-so." She stammered and looked around at all of the people in the room.

"Bella, it sounded pretty serious. Are you sure you're alright? What were you dreaming about?" She looked around again, hesitantly. I looked over to Carlisle and the nurses and nodded my head. They all left the room quickly.

"Now, tell me. What was your nightmare about?"

**BPOV**

___Everything was quiet in the house. Charlie's TV wasn't on and I found that really odd, seeing as how it's on almost 24/7._

___I walked carefully down the stairs, making sure not to let my clumsiness get the best of me and trip. I tiptoed through the living room, seeing no sign of Charlie. Maybe I could get out of here without him noticing me._

___He should be at Billy's house right now. He said he would be there until five o'clock. It was only three thirty now. That should give me plenty of time to get a ways down the road. Surely if I took enough turns, getting myself as far away from Forks as possible, he would never find me. I had enough money to last me a while. I had been saving ever since I started working at Newton's last year. I was wearing clothes two sizes two big because I didn't want to waste money on new ones after I had started losing weight. _

___I crept toward the kitchen and sighed once I saw no one was in there. I walked over to the door after grabbing my keys from the hall tree. Once I opened the door, there stood a very angry, very drunk, Charlie._

"___Where do you think you're going, Isabella?" He rasped. I couldn't say anything I was frozen in my place. "ANSWER ME!" He stepped in the house and I backed up, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He knew I was trying to leave, and now he was going to make me pay for it._

___Suddenly there was a knife in his hand. I had know idea where that came from. I turned and started running through the house. I didn't take a chance running up the stairs, I knew he would hear me. I ran to the basement. It had boxes and other things I could hide behind._

___I heard Charlie's footsteps above me as I hid behind a pile of trash bags with old clothes inside them. I waited silently until they ceased. I relaxed until I heard the wooden stairs that lead to the basement creak. I tensed and waited to see where they went._

___Suddenly, a clothes bag flew away and Charlie replaced it. I screamed and ran the opposite direction. He chased after me with the knife still in his hand. Then I tripped over something and he towered over me. I moved backwards away from him until all that was left was wall._

___He reached down, and cut my arm right down the center._

_"NO! STOP, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. He just laughed and went to the other arm with a deeper cut. "NO! PLEASE!" Finally, he went to my stomach and stabbed it. "STOP! PLEASE, IT HURTS STOP!"_

_"Bella! Bella, you've got to wake up. He'll go away if you just wake up. Come on Bella, wake up!" I heard Edward. I had hope._

_"EDWARD, HELP ME!" I was cut off by the gush of blood coming out of my mouth._

_"Bella! I will if you just open your eyes! Wake up!" He yelled._

_"Edward! Please!" I said quieter now._

Suddenly, I opened my eyes and I was in a white room. The hospital room I was in earlier. I just had a nightmare. Only it wasn't just a nightmare. It was a memory. The worst memory I have. The day Charlie came home from Billy's house. Billy was one of his friends he liked to get drunk with all the time. He came home and was just about to pass out but decided to inflict pain on me first. That's when all that happened. Except for the part with Edward, everything was real.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Edward asked. I looked around to see Carlisle and a bunch of nurses gathered around me.

"I-I think s-so," I managed to get out. I felt sticky and my breath was finally catching up with me.

"Bella, it sounded pretty serious. Are you sure you're all right? What were you dreaming about?" I looked around the room to see everyone looking at me expectantly. Surely they didn't expect me to just spill my guts to people I didn't even know.

I noticed Edward look around at all of them and nod his head. They all exited the room quickly after that.

"Now, tell me. What was your nightmare about?"

I couldn't tell him. There was no way I could tell him. For one, I didn't know him all that well. I had only met him just two days ago. Second of all, he would tell everyone. He would tell them and then they would take me away from my house. I didn't have anywhere to go. They would put me in foster care and then when I turned eighteen, I would be on my own. Alone. I couldn't do it.

"Nothing. J-just a b-bad dream i-is all."

**Oh, man. What the heck is going on. Charlie is a downright menace! You know who else is a menace. The Joker. Yeah; green haired freak. I LOVE HIM. So...review...or I'll send my hubby after you...Oh, wait. He's dead. Shoot. -Ann**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, y'all, sorry I'm late. I completely forgot Sunday, but I was busy with my cousin's baby shower to update. Then Monday I had to work...not til 4 so I basically forgot then, too. I just happened to think of it now and was mentally planning my apology in my head. Well, I'm sorry! If you guys were waiting, then here it is! If you weren't waiting...then...well, here it is! Lol. Love you guys! -Ann**

**BPOV**

After another few days in the hospital and many visits from Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie, I was able to be discharged. Edward strongly protested me going back to Charlie, but I really had no choice. He finally let me go with a fight and decided we would bring it up again after our court date.

The detective had gotten us a trial with a judge in Seattle. It was set for this upcoming Friday. It would be determined there whether Charlie was to go to prison or if I had to live with him until I could legally move out in September when I turned 18. Edward adamantly told me not to worry and that Charlie was sure to go to prison. But really, I couldn't guarantee anything. He was an excellent actor and a cop. Few people didn't believe every word that came out of his mouth.

When Edward dropped me off at my house the day I left the hospital, he actually walked me to the door.

"Bella, if something happens or he hurts you in any way, I want you to call me. Night or day, rain or shine, I will be here. No matter what the situation, call me." I looked up at him, wondering how after only a few days, he acted like losing me would kill him. I didn't understand. I would take a guess and say he liked me, but what were the chances of that? I mean, I liked him. A lot, actually. But he was like a god among men in the looks department and the personality department, too, I guess. I was just plain Jane, unpopular, Bella Swan.

"Okay, Edward. I'll be fine, I promise." I tried to shove him away, but he wouldn't budge.

"Really, I'm serious." And he was. His eyes held the utmost sincerity and I couldn't help but feel bad for the way I was treating him.

"I know. I'll call you as soon as I can to confirm everything is a-okay." I smiled at him and he gave me a small smile back.

"I'll see you later, Bella." He leaned in and kiss me cheek, then added seriously, "Call me." I nodded, resisting the urge to reach up and feel the spot where his lips were.

I stood on the porch, watching him drive away until I couldn't see his tail lights anymore. I went inside and grabbed a small, quick bite to eat before Charlie got home.

After I was finished, I went upstairs to catch up on the homework I'd missed since I'd been in the hospital. It wasn't much. With the end of the year fast approaching, the teachers were starting to get lazy, same with the students. But that wouldn't stop me from doing everything I could to keep my grades up so I could go to college and get out of here as soon as possible.

A few hours passed. I fell asleep and woke to pounding on my door. Charlie.

"ISABELLA! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" The pounding continued and so did the yelling. "RIGHT NOW, ISABELLA! OPEN THE DOOR!"

I took a deep breath. This was it. I had to stand up to Charlie. It might go over well, it might now. I could be dead by the end of this conversation or I could go back and sleep peacefully.

I swung open the door to see a fuming Charlie. He opened his mouth to yell at me again, but I spoke first. "Just STOP!" I yelled. He looked shock for a moment before an even angrier look came on his face. But that didn't stop me. "Can't you see that you've already caused enough damage? I just got out of the hospital. Don't you think it would be a little suspicious to end up back there again the same day I got out? What the hell is the matter with you? Are you that stupid?" I was yelling, getting angrier and angrier every second.

Charlie was absolutely shocked at my outburst. He opened and closed his mouth a number of times before grumbling and turning to walk down the stairs. Now it was my turn to be surprised. I couldn't believe how that had turned out. After six year of consistent abuse, Charlie finally gave up and left me alone. This was one for the history books.

I closed my door and then went back to the bed. I was careful not to jostle my injuries and got what felt like the best sleep of my life.

Though it was a great sleep, when I woke up this morning I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. A large one. My chest was on fire and my wrist ached. My head was pounding and my mouth was dry and felt like it was filled with cotton.

I walked to the bathroom to look in the mirror only to see that I looked exactly like I felt. I got in the shower, putting a protective sack over my cast. I lathered myself with strawberry scented soap and scrubbed in some green apple smelling shampoo and conditioner.

Once I was finished I combed my hair and dried it, leaving it long and wavy down my back. I pulled on a pair of old jeans and a plain white t-shirt and slid on the old pair of converse I'd had for years. Sure, I could have bought a new pair, but I was the money I'd earned for another reason. I didn't need to waste it on a new pair of shoes when mine were perfectly fine. Que the gray duck tape falling off and causing my sole to flop around.

Charlie was already gone by the time I got downstairs. I didn't make myself anything for breakfast. I was so used to not eating I wasn't even that hungry. I locked up the house and then started my journey to school. The walk was the same as it always was. Kids were riding down the sidewalks on their bikes going to school and birds were chirping. If only my life could be as peaceful as a bird's. I could fly wherever I wanted to anywhere in the world. Far, far away from this town.

When I got to school, I noticed Edward and his family sitting at the picnic table right in front of the school. As soon as Edward noticed me, he ran over to meet me.

"Bella!" He called, running up to me. "You never called! I was worried sick!" He had the most adorable pout on his face, but his eyes really did look full of worry.

"Oh, I totally forgot, I'm so sorry!" I really was. I was going to call. But with the whole me telling off Charlie thing, I forgot.

"You better have a good reason for blowing me off," he smiled.

"I do. I'll tell you all about it at lunch." Edward nodded and we walked together toward my first hour class.

Once we got there, I turned to him and smiled. "Thanks for walking me to class, Edward, I'll see you at lunch."

"Okay. Bye, Bella." I waved as he walked away and he waved back. I walked into class, anxious to get to lunch so I could see Edward again. At least I got to talk to Alice this hour.

"So, what's going on with you and my brother? There's something there. You guys were meant to be together." Of course Alice would start on in on this before I could even greet her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. Your brother and I are just friends. There's nothing going on." I tried to hide my blush, but she picked up on it instantly.

"Oh, come on, Bella, I know you like him. I see the way you look at him, and you're way better than Tanya, or any of her skank friends."

"Tanya?" Tanya was the most popular girl in school. Although I couldn't say she was exactly pretty, but she had slept with every guy on the football and basketball team. Some say it was all at once. Surely that was just a silly rumor.

"Yeah, she's been all over him since we got here, and he's seriously annoyed by it." I felt instantly relieved to hear that.

"Oh, that's good." I tried not to sound to super excited.

Tanya was definitely not Edward's type. She actually asked her parents to get her a boob job for her birthday. They complied, getting her the absolute best plastic surgeon on the west coast. She now had huge tits that got in the way whenever you tried to talk to her. Really, they were all you saw. Just recently she had even more plastic surgery, this time on her nose. It was perfect of course, but that didn't make her any prettier. She still dressed and acted like a street hooker.

Lunch came very slowly. I tried to hide my excitement about seeing Edward again, only after about 3 hours. But my excitement quickly faded as soon as I saw Tanya running up behind Edward, practically humping him right there in front of God and everybody.

"Hey, Eddie! You wanna set with me at lunch today?" She was running her hand up and down his arm. I wanted nothing but to smack it off.

"Tanya, how many times have I told you not to call me Eddie? It's Edward! And no I will not sit with you. I'm sitting with Bella and my family." He looked extremely irritated, making me feel a little bit better.

"Fine," she pouted poorly, then perked up again. "You'll come around eventually."

He just shook his head and walked over to our table. He sat down by me and sighed, "She just won't give up!"

I giggled. "What, you don't like being groped by the school slut? Why, everyone else seems to just love it."

He looked at me and raised his eyebrow. "So, you don't mind her rubbing all over me?"

My mood quickly faded. "Uh, yeah, I do mind. I don't like it," I whispered so only he could hear.

He put his finger under my chin and lifted my head up. "Don't worry, I prefer brunettes." He smiled his breathtakingly beautiful smile. I blushed furiously and he chuckled.

"So, are you doing okay today? Any pain at all?"

"Well, this morning I felt like I was awful. Like someone had just put me through the garbage disposal, but now I don't really feel anything. I put Charlie in his place last night, too. Which is why I forgot to call you last night."

"Really? What'd you say?" He smiled in delight, but yet had a cautious hint to it. He seemed perfectly okay with me forgetting to call him and I giggled excitedly at telling him everything that happened.

I told him the whole story about last night with Charlie and how I stood up for myself. He smiled through the whole thing, laughing when I told him Charlie looked like a fish out of water after I told him off. Edward was a true friend, and to be honest I wanted to be way more than just friends. Maybe, one day, we would be.

**Que collective, "AWWWW!" But wait...how do I know you guys are awwing? I don't. So..you better review...or, uh, I won't know. I'm not a damn mind reader you guys, come on! Review. -Ann**


	9. Chapter 9

**So, my schedule's kind of erratic right now, if you haven't noticed. I've fallen behind on chapters, so I'm just rushing to get them out. But I would never be careless with it. I still put my heart into, rushing or not, so it's not something I just threw out there.**

**Thank you all for your reviews and favorites. Every single thing means so much to me, whether it's a simple smiley face or a big long paragraph. I love you guys! Thanks so much! -AnnMarie**

**EPOV**

I smiled all through Bella's story about telling off her father. At first, I was worried that her father would hurt her again. Imagine my relief when her father simply walked away without doing a thing. I was so proud of Bella for standing up for herself, but if she had gotten hurt, I wouldn't doubt that I would have gotten slightly angry at her. After I made sure she was okay, that is.

As I walked to my next class with Bella, we stayed in a comfortable silence. I desperately wanted to tell her that I was looking forward to the trial date and that I really wanted her to come live with us if her dad went to prison. There really wasn't any way that he wouldn't go to prison unless the jury was full of idiots who fell for Charlie's 'good dad' bit. I really hoped they were smarter than that.

"So, Bella," I look at her hesitantly. "Have you given any thought to where you might stay if you win the trial?" She gave me a curious look.

"Um, not really. I've never really met my mom's side of the family. My dad always said they were nut jobs," she snorted lightly. "They weren't. They were like my mother. Eccentric and full of life," this caused her to show a sad smile. "Maybe I'll give one of them a call. It means I would have to move away. They live in Arizona. I don't want to move, but I have no choice."

"I wouldn't want you to move either." She stopped in her tracks and turned to give me a look. The look was like she thought I was stupid or something. "What?"

"What do you see in me, Edward? You watch over me like I'm some kind of precious jewel, and you don't want me to leave? Why? I'm plain, boring Bella. What's so special about me that you feel like you have to be around me all the time? You keep asking me how I am every five seconds. I hate the attention. Even when I went to the hospital, no one I've known the whole time I've lived here cared as much as you did, and you just moved here, what, two weeks ago? I don't want you to be my protector! You're like a freaking Greek God, with girls hanging all over you, and you choose to be with me! I just don't get it." The last part came out as a whisper. I just gaped at her. I didn't realize she felt that way. I finally came out of my shock to give her an answer.

"You really feel that way?" That's all that I could come up with. Stupid, I know.

"Of course I do! I wouldn't lie about that." I smiled at her, and she just stared back at me, her expression unreadable.

"Bella, you're beautiful. That's why I can't stay away from you for more than 5 minutes without feeling lost in my own world daydreaming about you. I feel the need to protect you because you obviously need to be protected!" I gestured to her wrist and ribs, "I want to be the one there with you when you move away from Charlie, but I definitely don't want you to move out of Forks. I want you to come live with my family at our house. Carlisle and Esme have already agreed and are more than happy to let you stay with us. I don't want you to hurt anymore, Bella. I care about you, a lot, if you haven't already figured that out, which obviously you haven't.

"Is that a good enough explanation for you because if you need more reason to believe me, then I would be more than happy to express, in excruciating detail, every feeling that I have for you."

Just like I did with her, she just stared at me like I had 3 eyes and a tail.

"What?" was her witty response.

"Do I really need to repeat it?" I ran my hand through my unruly hair.

She shook her head. "We're gonna be late for class," with that she turned back down the hallway towards the classroom with her head down.

I caught up to her and continued to our class now in an extremely awkward silence.

As we entered everyone stared at us, signaling that we were late. Bella, paying no attention to our teacher, who was scolding us for being late, went straight to our desk. I followed her and watched her intently as Mr. Burns droned on and on about something relating to Biology.

I notice Bella take out a piece of paper and scribble something on it. She slid it over to me.

_Did you mean what you said out there? -B_

I quickly wrote down my reply.

_Absolutely -E_

_I want to talk to you later. Somewhere more private than a hallway full of eavesdropping idiots. -B_

_Okay. Where? -E_

_Anywhere but here. -B_

_You can come over to my house. Alice has been wanting to bring you over anyway. -E_

_Meet you in the parking lot after the last bell? -B_

_Great. :) -E_

She didn't write back, so I assumed she had nothing left to say. I couldn't wait to introduce her to my parents. They would love her. Of course, Carlisle already knew her, so it was just Esme, who would be ecstatic.

After class, I followed Bella out of the room and she turned to go the gym without saying a word.

I sat through my last class daydreaming about Bella, as always. Well as of two weeks ago. I noticed that she never really acknowledged me saying I wanted her to live with us when we were talking in class. She said she wanted to talk, but was it necessarily about that? Hopefully she would be on the same page as I was. I don't know what I would do if she moved away. I would have to go visit her. Maybe we could write each other or email or Skype. I had no idea where these strong feelings had come from, but they were there. And I didn't exactly want them to go away.

When the bell rang, I all but sprinted to my car. I saw Bella leaning against my Volvo, smiling when she noticed me coming toward her. We got in the car and I saw that she looked really uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yep. Let's go." She gave me a slight smile. I smiled back and pulled out of the parking lot.

We beat everyone else home, so it was just Esme in the house; Carlisle being at work. Before Bella could open the door on her own, I quickly ran over to her door and opened it for her, holding out my hand so I could help her out of the car. She blushed and took my hand took get out. I felt that familiar shock as she touched me. I thought she might have felt it too since she tensed instantly and let go of my hand when her feet hit the ground.

"Are you ready to meet my parents? Or my mom at least?" She nodded and we walked toward the door.

I held the door open for her and she sauntered in and waited for me just a few feet inside. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" I called out to them. I saw Esme emerge from the kitchen.

"Oh, hello dear. Who's this?" She smiled warmly at Bella.

"This is Bella Swan. I invited her over, we had some things to discuss."

"Oh, of course. Alice has been talking about you since they started school. It's very lovely to meet you Bella."

She blushed slightly and smiled back at Esme, "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Cullen."

"Oh, please, sweetheart, call me Esme. Mrs. Cullen makes me feel old," she laughed and Bella joined in.

After their greetings I led Bella to my room upstairs. I stopped right in front of my door. "Well, this is it," I opened the door slowly, and she walked in.

"Wow," she breathed, silently walking over to my shelves full of books and CD's. "You have so many books, and so much music." She skimmed her fingers over the spines of the CD cases slowly.

"So, what do you want to talk about. I know you probably wanted to discuss what happened in the hall today?" I said more like a question.

"Yes," she came and sat by me on my bed. "I just wanted to know if you really meant what you said. Like really meant it, not just said it because you didn't want me to feel stupid."

"I meant every word I said Bella. Every single word. I was actually kind of shocked that ___you _felt that way. I didn't realize that you felt the same way I did. I thought you were beautiful from the first time I laid eyes on you."

"Why don't I believe you?" She asked, warily.

"I don't know. I'm telling you the truth. What can I say to make you believe me?"

She shrugged, "Every time I walk down the halls at school, people look at me like I'm some alien from outer space. Even when it's hot outside I would wear long sleeves and jeans to cover up the bruises, but they don't know, and it makes me look like a freak. No one has ever told me anything that would make me think I was beautiful in any way.

"When my mom was alive, she would tell me every day, but I was ten years old and every mom is supposed to say that. None of my other family ever acted like I existed. Mainly because I never saw them and they didn't know me all that well. My mom's side comes from money and when they were around, I don't think they understood why we didn't spend every penny we had to make our appearance more appealing.

"At school, I just wanted to fit in, but never did because of the bruises and the scars."

I didn't know how to reply to that one, but I gave it my best shot, "Bella, you _are_ beautiful. You're like Aphrodite to me. Goddess of love and beauty," she blushed furiously, and I chuckled. "Have you ever looked in the mirror? You're gorgeous, inside and out; with or without money to enhance your appearance. Nobody can change that."

"Thank you, Edward," she whispered. "No one's ever made me feel the way we do." She looked at me with puppy dog eyes, of course she didn't mean to, but I just got lost in them, until I found my lips on hers. I kissed her softly and when the kiss registered she kissed me back.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar little pixie squeal. "I knew it!"

**I work at Bahama Breeze where we sell sno cones and other food. It's so boring there...so give me something to read while I'm sitting on my ass eating shaved ice! REVIEW! :D -AnnMarie**


	10. Chapter 10

**Yeah, it took a long ass time to get this out. Sorry, so sorry. Really. Gripe at me in a review! Lol. But really, give me some love or hate. If your love is great, you'll get a shoutout! If your hate is rude, you'll also get a shoutout, but it won't be a good one. :) So, hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's a long one. Probably a lot of mistakes because I'm writing, well, editing and rewriting this at midnight. **

**Remember, this is another person's story I am sort of editing/rewriting, just a few parts rewriting, so if you read The Writer Girl – 2323's version, you will def see the same parts, but if not, enjoy anyway! Leave me some reviews! Love you guys for being patient! -Ann**

**BPOV**

Holy shit. What just happened?

**EPOV**

Whoa, did I just do that? I did. Stupid Alice...

**APOV**

I just walked in on Edward and Bella kissing...on Edward's bed...Emmett better not find out about this...

**BPOV**

My whole body felt like it was humming with electricity. It was like I had attached power cables to my lips and hooked it up to Seattle's power plant. The kiss was unexpected and I'm sort of grateful that Alice had interrupted. I almost forgot how to breathe and I don't think that would have turned out good at all.

**Edward pulled away, and turned to glare at Alice. She just smiled brightly in return.**

"**Can I help you?" Edward asked in an irritated tone.**

"**Nope, just passing through," she replied in a high pitched chime.**

"**Alice, you live a whole floor below me. I have this entire hall to myself."**

**She blushed slightly. "Right. I was just, uh…well, bye!" She turned and ran for the stairs.**

**Edward and I were left alone and before things could get awkward, I decided to let him know how I felt. **

"**Wow," I whispered. Okay, that's a good start, I guess.**

"**Yeah."**

"**So, what do we do now?" I looked up at him through my eyelashes.**

"**What should we do?" he looked as unsure as I was.**

"**I don't know. I really don't want to move half way across the country now."**

"**You don't have to."**

**Wait, what? What does he mean by that exactly?**

"**Huh?"**

"**Carlisle and Esme agreed to let you stay here, until you maybe find somewhere close or something."**

"**Yeah, that'll take a while, and Edward, I cant possibly stay here. I mean, I don't want to impose, and now that that just happened, whatever that was, it would seem kind of awkward to me." I blushed and looked back down, playing with my fingers.**

"**You'll be safe, Bella. That's all that matters right now. You won't have to worry ****about going home to Charlie every night and stress about what he's going to do next. You can come here and hang out with your new family."**

**I smiled and looked back up at him and he was smiling also. "It all just seems kind of strange, you know? Like this is all going to disappear or something. Last week I was taking weekly beatings and now I'm in the bedroom of the sweetest and hottest guy in school," Edward chuckled at me as I turned a light shade of pink. "And it seems like it's all just going to disappear in the morning. When I go to sleep, I'll be thinking of you and when I wake up I'll have no memory of any of you guys. It just feels like a fairytale."**

**He was still grinning, and I gave him the are-you-gonna-talk-or-just-sit-there-like-an-idiot look.**

**He finally spoke up, "So you really think I'm the hottest guy in school?"**

**I smack his arm, with my good hand, in a playful manner. "Edward! That's not the point here! I don't know what to do!" I leaned against him for comfort and he carefully embraced me in a hug.**

"**You'll make the right choice. You'll figure out what's best for you," he kissed the top of my head.**

**I sighed, "God, I hope so."**

******Trial Day**

******BPOV**

**I laid in my bed looking up at the ceiling. Today was the trial. I called in sick to school, making sure no one had any knowledge of today's events. The court house was in Seattle. I was riding there with Edward and his father. Carlisle had to be there to present the hospital files of x-rays and other documents of my previous injuries. Charlie would be going in his cruiser of course, but no one would be riding with him. Our lawyers would be meeting us there. I was so nervous, I couldn't think straight.**

Edward would be here in about an hour, so I got up to get ready. I still have to take a shower, and that's going to take some preparing. I had to put a plastic bag over my arm, so the cast over my wrist won't get wet.

I slowly dragged myself out of bed and headed toward my bathroom, grabbing my plastic bag of the dresser and sliding it over the cast. I stripped down, and stepped into the hot running water. It relaxed my muscles immensely, but the ache in my chest from my ribs was still noticeable.

After a soothing shower, I went to my closet and put on a pair of light gray Capri pants. I searched through my closet to find a presentable shirt, I finally decided on a white tank top, under a dark gray off shoulder top. I put on a white beaded necklace with it.

After putting on my clothes, I went to the bathroom and took down my hair and dried it thoroughly. I left it down, with it running in waves down my back. I put on some light eyeliner and mascara. I went back into my room and slipped on some white flats.

Taking one last look in the mirror, I looked presentable to a judge, the jury, and whoever else showed up to the court house. Some people I wouldn't even know would probably show up just to see how everything turned out.

I took a deep breath and opened my door to go downstairs. I took a peek in Charlie's room and he was already up, and from what I could tell he wasn't down stairs, so he must have already left for Seattle.

I sat at the kitchen table and tapped my fingers on the surface. I jumped when I heard a light knock on the door. I stood up and walked slowly towards the door, opening it to see Edward, looking dashing in his white button up shirt and dark blue jeans. Casual, yet very dressy.

"Wow, you look…hot." He flashed a very sexy, crooked smile.

I giggled, "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

"Thank you." He bent down and pressed his lips to mine in a very gentlemanly way. Just a sweet little peck.

"Well, we should get going, I definitely don't want to be late to my own trial." I stepped out on the porch making Edward take a few steps back. I shut the door behind me and we walked to his shiny Volvo.

I realized Carlisle wasn't in the car. "Where's Carlisle? Wasn't he riding with us?"

"Well, he was, but then he had to make a few stops so he decided to just take his car."

"Oh, okay."

I slid into the seat and Edward closed the door behind me. He climbed in on the other side and drove out of the driveway. Down the road a little ways he took my good hand in his and rubbed soothing circled on the back of it. I turned to look at him and he just smiled in return.

I noticed Edward's iPod sitting in the docking station on the dash. I grabbed it, searching through all of the songs and his playlists. I kind of felt like I was snooping, but he wasn't making an effort to stop me. In fact, he was simply staring at me curiously, probably wondering what I was going to do.

As I looked through the song, I understood his music collection in his room. It was similar to everything on his iPod. Everything from Bach and Debussy to 80s hair metal to country classics. I wanted to giggle at the thought of him singing along to George Straight or yelling out to Poison in a raspy voice. In facts, the thoughts of it do make me giggle and Edward just stares at me.

"You have a lot of genres on here," I said, holding up the device. I bit my lip and put my fingers to my mouth to try and suppress my giggles, failing miserably.

"Uh, yeah..." he simply looked at me.

"I just can't imagine you jamming to country or hair metal. Classical, yes, but not the others."

He smirked and shook his head. "I don't listen to them. Jasper, he, uh, grew up in Texas, you know. He likes country. We share music playlists to 'expand our music taste' – all Alice's idea. So we all have the same music on our iPod's. The hair metal, that's Alice. The country, Jasper's. Emmett listens to rap. I listen to classical. Rosalie literally listens to everything." He shrugs when he finishes and I am somewhat amazed at the connection this family has.

If you think about it, it's weird that they share music. No, you don't have to think about it. It's weird. But I guess the Cullen's were weird in their own way. I only wished that I had a family like the Cullen's. Instead, I had no mother and an alcoholic dad who beat me every chance he got. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of moving in with the Cullen's.

We didn't really keep up any conversation after the music discussion. But I must have fallen asleep because I soon felt Edward lightly shaking me awake and whispering for me to wake up in my ear. I opened my eyes and found that we were at the court house. The parking lot was almost completely empty besides a white Escalade which I assumed belonged to the judge because it was much nicer then the other cars that were there, the other cars I assumed belonged to the jury and the lawyers. And of course there was Charlie's cruiser.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked, opening my door for me.

"Not at all…let's go." He chuckled and hopped out of the car.

He took my hand and led me to the waiting area right outside the room where the trial would be held. Charlie was conversing with his lawyer on the opposite side of the lobby, glancing over in our direction once before turning back to the man.

"Edward, I don't know if I can do this," the realization that I would have to talk about everything hit me all at once.

"Bella, breathe," He stroked my cheek with his fingertips. "It's going to be okay. I'll be right there if you need me. Just say the word and we'll take a break."

"Edward, I don't know if I can relive those moments. They were the worst part of my life and I'll have to tell them everything in detail of what he did." I started to cry. I was thankful I had waterproof mascara.

"Bella, it's going to be alright. After today, it will all be over and you can come live with us and you'll be safe and happy."

I laid my head on his chest and let my tears flow free. I was glad I wasn't sobbing, that would be embarrassing. Edward wrapped his arms around me in a gentle hug, so he wouldn't hurt me.

After a while I saw a man in a black suit and tie with a briefcase walk up to us. "Are you Isabella Swan?" He asked.

"Yes. Are you Mr. Jacobs?"

"Yes, I am representing you in this case. I assume your doctor will be here soon with your medical records?"

I nodded, "Carlisle Cullen, he just moved here and has only been my doctor since this last visit, but he is a very good doctor."

"And who are you?" He looked at Edward.

"I am Edward Cullen, Bella's boyfriend. She wanted me to be here with her today." They shook hands.

"Well, Isabella, I assume that it will be very hard in there today, and if you feel for any reason you need to take a break just say something and I'm sure they will give us a 5 to 10 minutes recess."

I nodded and he sat down beside me. We talked about what would most likely happen and what questions would be asked. He wasn't aloud to tell me specific question he was going to be asking me, but he gave me a brief summary of what this case was going to be like.

A little while later, Carlisle walked in, and trailing behind him was Edward's entire family. I felt my jaw drop and I was seriously shocked that they would all show up. I didn't even know they knew anything about this. I wasn't mad at them for being here I was actually really happy to see them come and support me. They really were like my family.

With Dr. and Mrs. Cullen leading them, they all followed in their pairs. Jasper and Alice, right behind Carlisle and Esme, and Emmett and Rosalie not far behind. As they approached me, I stood up and Alice and Rosalie ran over to me, all of us in a group hug kind of thing, being careful not to hurt me at all. Finally, when we pulled away Emmett picked me up and was surprisingly gentle with his big hug.

"I'm so happy to see you guys here." I said to them after Emmett finally put me down. I had tears flowing down my cheeks in what seemed like rivers.

"Awe, Bella, don't cry. You'll ruin your outfit, which looks incredible by the way. I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised you picked that out." Alice said giving me another hug.

I laughed through my tears, "Thank you, Alice. That means a lot coming from you."

She smiled back, and I turned to look at Carlisle, "Do you have all of the files and x-rays."

He opened his mouth to say something, but a big guard coming through the entrance door of the room, interrupted him. "Next! Swan Case!" He bellowed. Everyone rose that was going into the room which was a lot of people. The Cullen's and I walked through the doors and into the small court room. Mr. Jacobs and I walked through the small gate to the front of the room to the table and chairs, following Charlie and his lawyer. Carlisle trailed behind us because he had to be seated up with us to present the hospital records.

We all took our seats, and after a minute or two the judge walked into the room followed by about ten people which would be the jury.

"All people in the matter of the case between Isabella Marie Swan and Charles David Swan, please rise!" The Bailiff shouted. My lawyer along with Carlisle and I stood up with Charlie and his lawyer. I noticed everyone in the seats behind us stood up as well. As the Judge took her seat, the bailiff shouted again, "You may be seated!"

"Okay, this is a trial case between Isabella Swan and her father Charles Swan. Isabella seeking to have Charles put away for physical and sexual abuse…" The judge went on about what this was all for and what would be going on.

When I focused back on the real world, Charlie's lawyer had stood up and was now saying, "I'd like to call Isabella Swan to the stand."

I slowly got up and sauntered to the 'stand'. After being sworn in, they he started the questioning.

"So, Isabella, is it true that Charles has been abusing you since you were very young?"

"Yes." I spoke clearly into the tiny microphone sticking out of the podium.

"And these injuries you have, they are from Charles supposedly 'kicking' you down the stairs?" he put quotes around kicking.

"Yes." I repeated.

"I see. Why didn't you go to authorities earlier, why did you decide to tell just the other day?"

"Well, he told me that if I told anyone then I would pay for it, and naturally I was terrified. I was in the hospital. I had been in there once before because of him and I knew what he was capable of, so I kept my mouth shut."

"But if the authorities had him in custody, then how could he have hurt you? You would have been safe from any harm if you only would have turned him in sooner."

"I was 8 when he started all this. I couldn't think about anything other than what he was going to do to me that night when I went home. Was he going to just slap me around, which was the usual? Or was he going to be extra drunk and knock me to the ground and kick me around? My first kiss was when he made me go down the stairs last time. I wasn't old enough to realize I would be safe. Being 17 now, I guess I've come to my senses, or maybe I was just so scared I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if it was the right thing or if I could get hurt even worse." All my anger that was bottled up inside came pouring out, and I let it. Explaining myself more than necessary, but still enough for them to maybe get of my case and trying to turn me into the suspect instead of the victim.

He looked kind of annoyed by the long answer, but kept going finishing up his questioning with just simple questions that I didn't really have any problem with answering. My lawyer was next to question me, and he told me some of the questions he might asked so it could get really emotional if the questions got any worse than he told me.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I did cry. I didn't hesitate to answer any of his questions, until the only question I least expected to be brought up came up to be asked.

"Now, Bella. I have to ask you this, and it may be very hard for you to answer, so just take your time." I nodded and he continued, "Has Charlie ever attempted to kill you?" My breath caught in my throat and I had trouble breathing. All the memories came rushing back to me. The dream, the actual real thing, the knife, the bags of clothes, the wooden steps that creaked as you walked down them, Charlie, me and my desperate cry for help, the hospital bed I was put in and legally put down as 'raped'. I couldn't handle it all at once and I just started to hyperventilate suddenly being able to breath but not being able to control it.

"Isabella?" I heard my lawyer ask.

"Miss Swan, can you answer the question? Do you need a break?" the judge asked with sympathy in her voice. I could have swore I heard Edward yell something, before everything went fuzzy and I was sucked into the blackness that felt oh so familiar.

**Okay, cool. Sorry it took so long. REVIEW. Bye.**


	11. Chapter 11

**As promised, here are the shoutouts for the reviewers from last chapter. Don't worry, it's not many. Lol. **

**CrazyCrimMind – OMG, you're so sweet. I know this isn't my original story, just a re-write, but no matter; myself and The Writer Girl – 2323 appreciate your love so much! Please keep sharing your thoughts, I love to read reviews like yours!**

** 1999 – I know, that cliffy kind of aggravated me the first time I read this story. I couldn't just take it out when I re-wrote it. Lol. You review pretty much every chapter and I love seeing your username because I'm like, yay! My faithful reader! Haha. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, it means a lot!**

**Cbmorefie – Thanks for reading! And you're welcome! Lol.**

**Beverly Marie – Don't hyperventilate! Lol. That last chapter was pretty exciting, I'm not going to lie. Thanks! And thanks for reading!**

**Okay, that's all. I make no promises that this chapter is factual. Heck, I've never been to court. I've tried to make it similar to what I see on tv or read, but...yeah. I made it more realistic than the original chapter, so I guess that's a plus. **

**THANKS FOR READING! REVIEW! -Ann**

**EPOV**

I thought Bella's next question was sort of a low blow. Had Charlie ever tried to kill her? No way. She had never said whether he had or not, but she would have told me. Told someone. Wouldn't she?

I looked up to the podium. Bella's eyes looked funny and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. I instantly knew she was hyperventilating. I started to worry and moved to stand out of my chair. The judge and Mr. Jacobs were trying to get her attention, but she just couldn't focus.

Suddenly, she collapsed.

"Bella!" I yelled and quickly ran over to her. Carlisle was not far behind me. We lied her down flat on the floor while Carlisle checked her wrist and neck for a pulse.

"It's alright. She's just fainted. The question must have startled her," Carlisle assured. I instantly felt relieved.

Since there was no need to take her to the hospital, we found a cot to lay her on. We elevated her feet and Carlisle was constantly making sure she was alright. It had been an hour and still no movement from her. Everyone was worried, especially me. I had seen Bella pass out a few times, but she had never been out this long. The only person who didn't look the slightest bit concerned was Charlie, who was simply looking bored, wanting the trial to be over already.

When I felt Bella's hand twitch under mind, I looked up to her face to see if she showed any signs of waking. I could see her eyes move under her eyelids and began to get anxious. As soon as I saw her deep, chocolate eyes, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Edward? Where am I?" she asked. Her voice was horse. I moved a stray hair out of her face.

"You're still at the court house. Bella, you passed out while you were answering questions on the stand."

"Really? I remember Mr. Jacob's asking me a question, and then everything went black. I can't even remember what the question was." I looked over at Carlisle, who was bringing over a cup of water for Bella.

I was just about to reply to her, but Carlisle started speaking first. "Are you feeling okay, Bella? You weren't responsive at all when we tried to wake you up a while ago," he gave her the water and she chugged it down.

"I feel fine, now. I just wanna get this over with," she sat up slowly and rubbed her head.

"Okay, I'll go speak with the judge and see when we can continue." Carlisle patted her shoulder and walked out of the small room.

"Are you sure you're okay, Bella?" I asked her.

"I'm fine, Edward, really. I just don't want to drag this out any longer than it needs to be."

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

I chuckled, "no, something else."

"Oh, sure." She swung her legs around so she could sit on the edge of the cot, making room for me to sit beside her. I didn't know how sturdy the cot was, but I hoped it wouldn't collapse on us.

"Well, the question you passed out on was...was...had Charlie ever tried to...k-kill you," I had a hard time getting the words out of my mouth because they were so awful. "I just wanted to know...if he ever had?"

She stared at me with eyes like a deer in headlights. I rested my hand on her cheek, "Bella?"

"Uh, can we just talk about this later. Carlisle should be back any second, and this is a discussion I want to have with you privately." She didn't sound troubled, but I could tell she had to force the words out of her mouth.

I agreed to talk later, but I knew she'd have to explain everything in front of the judge, so I would hear it all in there anyway. Maybe she wouldn't give the whole story, only enough for the judge to hear, but that still didn't satisfy me. I wish she would have told me this days ago. Although, it's only been about a week, we've told each other everything. She's told me everything about Charlie, Renee, and both their families. Why didn't she tell me the most important thing? If Charlie had killed Bella, then I would have never found her and fell in love with her. Yes, I, Edward Cullen, after a week of knowing the beautiful Bella Swan, had fallen in love with her.

**BPOV**

I sighed out loud and pinched the bridge of my nose, automatically signaling Edward that something was obviously wrong. Which there wasn't, but it was sweet that he cared.

"What's the matter, love?"

Love? Did he seriously just call me love? Edward Cullen called me...love. I don't know if this was just some kind of nickname or if he was actually calling me love as in I was his love. Like, he loved me. Of course, I've loved him since the first kiss, but I never thought in a million years that Edward Cullen, yes, I know I've said his name a billion times, but I can't get over this, Edward Cullen might love me.

Me being internally frustrated with myself, forgot to answer him, which caused him to even more unnecessary worry. "Bella? Bella, please answer me."

"Edward, I'm fine. Relax." I put my good hand on his face. He relaxed immediately. Huh. To think I had this much of an effect on him.

"Are you sure? You can wait a while longer to go back out there," his gaze was sympathetic.

I chuckled and smiled at him. "I'm fine. I just want to go out there and finish this with Charlie in prison and safe in your arms." I wrapped my arm around his neck and buried my face in it. His arms slid around my shoulders and he ran a hand through my hair.

"That's exactly how this is going to end," he kissed the top of my head and lead me out into the room with everyone else.

Once I was back on the stand, they asked me the same question that had sent me into unconsciousness. I answered, stuttering through most of it, but looking into Edward's eyes the entire time, paying no attention to anyone but him. I told every single detail, in every single way I could possibly think of. I pretended like I was telling the story to him, not the lawyer, not the judge, not just to rub it in Charlie's face that he had a one way ticket to prison. Only him. Forever.

I internally slapped myself for not concentrating on finishing the story. I had to get everything right, so they didn't think I was pausing to think of how the rest of the tale should go. I was definitely telling the truth. I had tons of medical records to prove that I had been stabbed. But not really any truth that it wasn't rape, but the past.

When I was finished, I looked at the lawyer, who actually had to pull up a chair to sit down. He stood up, gave me a shocked look, and stated, "no further questions, your honor." Mr. Jacobs went and took his seat by Carlisle.

"Miss Swan, you may step down," the judge said. I nodded slightly and stepped off the stand. I walked slowly over to my seat, looking at the ground all the way over.

Charlie's lawyer eventually stood up and called Charlie to the stand. He gave out every lie that was possible, only being truthful when he said he'd hit me a couple of time. He actually started fake crying. Everyone could obviously see he wasn't being realistic when they asked him if he attempted to kill me. When Charlie stepped down, I looked at the watch on my wrist. We had been here for almost 4 hours, calling every witness and various people to the stand and taking short recesses through the entire session.

Finally, the jury went back into their little room to determine the verdict.

"Bella? Are you doing alright, sweetheart?" Edward asked softly from behind me. I turned around and gave him a light, passionate kiss.

"Perfect," I said and smiled at him. He smiled his sexy crooked smile back and I turned back around.

After about 10 minutes, the jury came back out. I looked down to see my good hand shaking. I was definitely nervous. It was make it or break it time.

"Jury, have you come to a conclusion?" the judge asked.

A single woman stood up with a clipboard, "We have your honor." The judge nodded and the woman juror continued. "We, the jury, have found Charles David Swan..." The room was silent and there was a collective intake of breath. "Guilty of the sexual and physical abuse of Isabella Marie Swan." You could hear the sighs of relief come from the people in the back. I choked back a sob as tears poured down my cheeks.

"Charles Swan, I hereby sentence you to a minimum of fifteen years in federal prison, no bail or parole. You will be put into custody immediately and Isabella, you will be entitled to live at the Swan residence if you wish, the bills will be paid by the state until Charlies will be released so you will have no further burdens. If you wish to sell the residence, you are free to move where you please. Good luck." The judge gave me a small smile. "Case dismissed."

Before I even got stood up all the way, Edward had his arms wrapped tightly, but gently around me and was twirling me around. It didn't hurt at all. Nothing could ruin this moment. Nothing once so ever.

Edward put me down and I pulled him into a strong kiss. When we pulled away, we were out of breath. "I'm so happy for you, Bella," he breathed, hugging me again.

"I'm happy, too, Edward."

Suddenly, he picked me up, bridal style, causing me to squeal and giggle.

"This is how it has to end, remember? Charlie in jail and you safe in my arms," he smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, like there was something he wanted to tell me. Well, there was something I had to tell him first.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered just centimeters away from his face.

His grin got bigger, more crooked, and definitely reached his eyes, if not further. "I love you, too, Bella. Forever and always." He pressed his lips to mine as we strolled out of the court room to his shiny, silver Volvo.

**Yeah, I don't even care that half of that was not even anywhere near factual. I just love happy ending, don't you guys? Fabulous. Edward and Bella just make me want to attempt to find a boyfriend, but then I think ehh, I'd rather just sit at home and lose myself in the fandom. You know what I mean? Hah. I'm just kidding, guys. About some of it...but anyway. **

**Leave me a review. I love reading your guy's thoughts. It makes me happy to see 'New Review' instead of a bunch of junk mail that fills my inbox. If you have any questions or anything, feel free to ask, I'm sure others are wondering the same thing. I will answer the question in my authors notes before the chapter. Thanks for reading, guys and gals! -Ann**


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